Vinnie Jones

Vinnie Jones is a former professional footballer whose penchant for knocking down opponents and literally crushing their nuts made him a legend in his native England. He has since parlayed his reputation as a remorseless thug into a gig as one of Hollywood’s most bankable brutes in films like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Gone in Sixty Seconds, and X-Men: The Last Stand. So, which career does this rough-and-ready brawler prefer? “I love [football and acting], but it's all about the present and I just love what I'm doing now,” he says. “It's a great adventure and it's very exciting for me.”

MAGNETISM

It isn’t easy putting up with a temperamental bad boy like Vinnie Jones. Luckily, he’s found someone equal to the task in his wife, Tanya, to whom he’s been happily married since June 25, 1994. A survivor in the truest sense of the word, Tanya underwent a heart transplant at the age of 21 and began an intimate relationship with Jones not long afterward. Her calm demeanor and live-and-let-live attitude have since helped to tame her formerly unruly husband. "I take my strength from Tanya,” Jones admits. “She believes her life was saved to save me, and in return I feel it is my role to look after her and give her the best life I can. She has given me stability and it is my responsibility to be there for her. Goodness knows where I would be without her. Tanya inspires me to be the best I can."

She’s even persuaded him to curtail his drinking. “I knew wine and champagne were poisoning my body, so I gave them up,” he says. “Now I have only the occasional beer and I do not look for trouble. It's made a huge difference." Tanya and Vinnie presently split their time between Hollywood and Hertfordshire.

SUCCESS

Vinnie Jones is making the most of his retirement. Eleven years after stepping away from the pitch, this rugged midfielder has appeared in over 45 feature films including Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Gone in Sixty Seconds, X-Men: The Last Stand, and The Midnight Meat Train. He’s also become a fixture on the small screen thanks to memorable appearances on Chuck, Celebrity Big Brother, WWE Backlash, and The Friday Night Project. Jones can be seen next in You May Not Kiss the Bride, a promising romantic comedy about a pet photographer who is called upon to rescue his kidnapped wife. The film is currently in postproduction.

Vinnie Jones Biography

It may surprise American audiences to learn that Vinnie Jones was a bona fide celebrity long before he began portraying violent thugs on the big screen. A native of Watford, England, he first rose to prominence on the pitch with Wealdstone Football Club, for whom he played from 1984 to 1986. Jones would spend the next 14 season in England’s top professional leagues, scoring 33 goals in 384 matches while splitting his time between Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Chelsea, and Queens Park Rangers. By the time he retired, Jones had cemented his legacy as one of the nastiest, dirtiest and most-dreaded enforcers in the game.

vinnie jones makes his big screen debut

Vinnie Jones’ fiery temperament caught the attention of English director Guy Ritchie who gave him a small but pivotal role in 1998 as a menacing debt collector in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. He proceeded to steal every scene he was in and went on to win Best Debut honors at the Empire Awards. Ritchie and Jones teamed up again in 2000 for Snatch, another brilliant gangster flick featuring many of the same cast members, but this time including Brad Pitt. This time around Jones was given a meatier role as a remorseless mercenary and he responded with another pitch-perfect performance, earning Best British Actor honors at the Empire Awards.

vinnie jones takes on hollywood

Vinnie Jones left England later that year to play a silent car thief in Gone in Sixty Seconds, a pulse-pounding thrill ride costarring Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie. The film made over $232 million worldwide and led to subsequent roles in Swordfish and Mean Machine.

vinnie jones stars in eurotrip

After three years away from the limelight, Vinne Jones surfaced again in 2004 in four different films including The Big Bounce, Tooth, Blast, and Eurotrip, in which he played a crazed football hooligan. Sadly, his solid performances went largely unseen as the films struggled to find an audience.

vinnie jones stars in x-men: the last stand

Vinnie Jones’ career received a tremendous boost in 2006 when he starred in X-Men: The Last Stand as a mutant with otherworldly strength. The critically acclaimed film earned over $459 million at the box office, easily making it his most profitable movie to date. It also led to an avalanche of offers and Jones cashed in with subsequent appearances in Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties, The Riddle and The Condemned, an ultraviolent thriller featuring WWE superstar Steve Austin.

vinnie jones stars in the midnight meat train

Vinnie Jones took a stab at horror in 2008 with a starring role in The Midnight Meat Train, a terrifying movie based upon a short story by Clive Barker. The film fared well with critics and developed a cult following among hardcore horror fans. Jones has since appeared in several more under-the-radar slasher films including Legend of the Bog and The Bleeding. He also made a memorable cameo in 2009 as a biblical thug in Judd Apatow’s amusing comedy Year One.

vinnie jones stays busy

Vinnie Jones is currently working on six different films including You May Not Kiss the Bride, a promising romantic comedy about a pet photographer.